Oakville bars teens from tanning beds

TANNING BEDS

It’s being hailed as a victory in the fight against skin cancer. Oakville has become the first municipality in Ontario to ban those under 18 from using tanning beds, following a unanimous vote at Town Council Monday evening.

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“We’re not banning tanning beds. We’re just saying that kids, the most at risk, can’t use tanning beds. Quite frankly, I’m surprised no one else has done it,” said Oakville Councillor Pam Damoff (Ward 2).

Tanning industry representatives, who met with town officials, believe that parents should be allowed to decide whether their children can use the devices that have been linked to skin cancer, she said.

Oakville resident Annette Cyr, chair of the Melanoma Network of Canada, said the ban is overdue, considering the research that shows UV exposure substantially increases the risk of developing skin cancers, including melanoma.

“It behooves us to at least restrict youth before they develop a habit of tanning themselves. There’s so much increased radiation that they’re exposed to in tanning beds it’s of great concern. Studies have indicated an increased risk of up to 75 per cent of developing melanoma from even one usage in a tanning bed. When we’re encouraging youth to get into these types of behaviours it doesn’t set them up for a healthy future,” she said.

A three-time sufferer of melanoma herself, Cyr said she regrets using tanning beds when she was younger.

The association has been asking the provincial government to impose a similar ban, but private members’ bills proposing the restriction have not passed, she said.

Cyr expects that Mississauga will consider whether to impose a tanning bed age limit in the fall.

Meantime, Damoff said she hopes the town will only have the bylaw on its books a short time, because the rule should be applied provincially, as it is in several other provinces.

Pam Easton, who runs the Midnight Sun tanning salon in downtown Oakville, says the ban is unlikely to affect her 28-year-old business because she sees few children, although parents occasionally bring in kids before heading to sunny vacations. Clients also have to fill out a form detailing any drugs or medical conditions that could make them photosensitive.

Easton said her business adheres to the strict timing directions that are prescribed for its tanning beds. According to the salon’s website, tanning sessions range from six to 20 minutes.

“Equipment over the 28 years has got stronger and faster. In the old days you could go on a tanning bed for 30 minutes and nobody burned,” she said.

The bylaw, passed by town council on Monday, would be enforced by complaint. Businesses that don’t uphold the age restriction would be fined and then potentially lose their licence, said Damoff.